Heart Game: Sol [#07]

[idolpro]

Note: please be as cryptic as possible regarding any specific actions your character takes when discussing them in the game channel to avoid influencing everyone else!

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[we_meet_again]

[The goblin was made of light! That was unexpected, but sure! Why not!

Then he gets kicked and stabbed, which feels pretty not great. With one hand, he grabs the goblin by the arm that's stabbing him. Now (theoretically) the goblin will have a harder time pulling back to stab him again or otherwise wield the dagger to defend itself.

With his other arm, Cobalt swings his axe at the goblin, but his momentum is thrown off by the whole Being Stabbed thing, so he only gets a 2.]

[bluerosestyle]

The goblin is unable to get loose! Cobalt's axe may not have hurt him, but a 1 says loses its grip on its dagger as their struggle. Sol is coming to help, but HE doesn't have a speed buff so his help is delayed by an extra turn.

[we_meet_again]

[He just keeps choppin' at the goblin with the axe!!! It's hard because this goblin is so wiggly, so Cobalt only got another 2.

BUT AT LEAST HE'S CAUSING THIS GOBLIN SOME INCONVENIENCE]

[bluerosestyle]

*they struggle, even! The goblin keeps trying to get away but guess who rolled another 2... So it keeps taking damage steadily from Cobalt's axe, maybe by next year it will die! ...Or maybe sooner, because by now Sol has made it here and he got a 6, so his sword shines brightly right before piercing the goblin's neck too fast for it to even notice he's there. Needless to say, the struggle is over after this. There are no more goblins around!!

[we_meet_again]

[He quickly looks around for more goblins, but when he sees the coast is clear, he relaxes and turns back to Sol]

Yeah!! You were amazing!!

[Also, he's looking at Sol to see if he looks injured! SOL ARE U OK]

[bluerosestyle]

[He got all 5s and 6s, somehow. He looks around, checking the place for flowers.]

You too! Sorry I couldn't make it back here sooner, fighting goblins can be hard the first time. They're really persistent...

[Time to heal Cobalt with the spatial resources we have left.]

All flowers in the vicinity disappear.

[we_meet_again]

[Mildly startled to feel his wounds closing up, and he touches them to find out they no longer hurt.]

Wow, Sol, thank you! Sorry you had to use up all your flowers on me.

Are you okay?

[bluerosestyle]

[Yes, the wounds should have closed! He couldn't heal Cobalt's Life all the way, but he should just feel a bit sore.]

They're not mine, they just grow here. And I'm fine-- more hungry than anything, to be honest.

[we_meet_again]

Oh! It's not much, but I brought some snacks! They're in the basket I left by the fire. You're welcome to have them if you'd like!

[bluerosestyle]

Are you sure? You won't need them for later?

[we_meet_again]

I had a snack in the village! Come eat these!

[bluerosestyle]

Then... yeah, I will.

[making his way back to the fire to take something from there... the pocky, maybe? OPENS IT AND EATS!!!]

. . . Thanks, Cobalt. I ran out of food yesterday, but I couldn't leave.

[we_meet_again]

[Aww yeah, cave pocky!]

You've been out of food for that long?! Shoot, Sol! Does someone normally bring it to you, or do you usually get a chance to leave before things get to this point? How does your job work?

[bluerosestyle]

[MUNCH]

Well, it's... How to say it... It's a neverending job that no one wants to see.

[we_meet_again]

...Why's that? Isn't this the Tree of Life that everyone celebrates every eighth day?

[bluerosestyle]

Mm. And as long as it's fine, they have a reason to celebrate.

[we_meet_again]

[...ARE YOU SURE IT'S FINE?!]

What's with the branches you were burning? Did something happen with Heart Soldier or Future is Now?

[bluerosestyle]

With those units-- ah, you mean because of the colors of the branches?

Nothing happened. They were just starting to stain the trunk. Letting it change colors is punishable by monochromatosis, so I have to be careful about which branches can stay.

[we_meet_again]

Oh Sol...

That was a really scary time, wasn't it. But monochromatosis isn't a punishment...

I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but doesn't the tree need its branches to stay healthy? It'll die if you remove too many, won't it?

[bluerosestyle]

...

It's a demon tree. It will be fine regardless. The original Gigas Cedar was also a demon tree, except back home, that was a bad thing.

[we_meet_again]

Still... is there anything that can be done to help it grow the branches back?

[bluerosestyle]

Growing them back? That's the opposite of what I have to do.

[we_meet_again]

But like... if the trunk represents you or your unit, and the branches are your connections to other people... I worry that cutting them off could be, like... limiting you and your potential for growth and emotional health.

[bluerosestyle]

I feel like I've heard that before...

[he looks up at the tree...]

...But I don't think that's it. I don't feel anything positive when I look at it. Everywhere is getting colder, and it's getting hard to feel anything at all, but I can still tell that much. If these branches represent connections, like you said... shouldn't I want them? Shouldn't I feel bad when I cut them off?

[we_meet_again]

It's been really rough lately, that's for sure...

Do you feel happier when you cut the branches? Does having fewer of them help you feel stronger or healthier?